


No Man is an Island

by KittyHawke



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Developing Relationship, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Pre-Canon, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:00:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25504837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittyHawke/pseuds/KittyHawke
Summary: Nicolo and Yusuf are lying low on an island and have some time to think about their next step, both in terms of their journey and their relationship.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 36
Kudos: 405





	No Man is an Island

**Author's Note:**

> We all know about that time, but there were clearly many others. This is one such time.
> 
> Notes: I read that Islam had more of a Greco-Roman attitude to homosexuality at this time, and sorry if that isn't wholly correct, but for the purpose of fiction it does provide a good contrast.
> 
> Thank you to my friend for the Andy and Quyhn part. The parallel was too good not to use.
> 
> It was so nice to write something fluffy for these two. I hope you enjoy reading.

It has been a hard few days. Their journey through the Maghreb was cut unexpectedly short by a keen-eyed guard in the last town. Nicolo has enough Arabic to communicate with Yusuf these days, but others are less forgiving of missed words, poor grammar and a fluctuating accent. Attempts to prevent a scene failed and the whole debacle ended with one dead guard and two immortals running for their lives.

They have nothing now. Yusuf used almost all of the coin in his pockets to get them on the first boat leaving. Everything except their swords is back at the guest house which they paid for, but never got to avail of. Nicolo hasn’t slept for two days, kept awake by the nauseating roll of the boat, and his last meal was oranges from the grove a short distance from the house they’ve found.

It is a small white cottage which seems to have been abandoned, sitting a mere few metres from the cliff’s edge overlooking the sea. Shaded groves can be found a short walk down the path, and beyond those, the roofs of a small village. There is a white sand beach and caves to be explored as well, if one wants to descend the endless series of steps that are carved into the rock, which Nicolo presently doesn’t. It took a monumental effort to climb them in his present state and he almost passed out in the bed as soon as he found it.

All this to say that he is bone tired and desperate to sleep for at least eleven hours, but God has not yet finished testing him.

The house only has one bed. Nicolo won the coin toss for it and Yusuf has been trying to sleep on the floor. Trying is the operative word. Nicolo has been listening to him grunt and roll around for hours now. The sky outside the window is starting to turn blue and still neither of them has slept a wink. The last straw is when Yusuf actually speaks.

“Where is the sun?” he growls.

Maybe he believes Nicolo is asleep and it’s safe to express his displeasure aloud. Maybe he just can’t bear suffering anymore. Nicolo hasn’t moved throughout the night, trying to keep his eyes closed and relax, but always pulled back from the brink of sleep by another curse thrown at the cushions that Yusuf had to use for a makeshift bed.

“Yusuf, please be quiet” he blurts out, half-begging. He watches Yusuf sit up and though he is only a vaguely human-shaped shadow, Nicolo can sense his surprise.

“I didn’t know you were awake.”

“I haven’t slept all night.”

“I’m sorry.” Now it is Nicolo’s turn to be surprised, as Yusuf stands and walks over to the bed. He stands right beside Nicolo and looks down at him. “Can I share with you?”

“Yes.”

He doesn’t require a second’s thought before agreeing. He would consent to anything if it would let him sleep, and it’s very clear that Yusuf is not going to get comfortable over there. The surprises are not over yet, however. With the bed pressed against the wall, Yusuf has no choice but to climb over Nicolo, and he settles down directly behind him. He can feel the other man’s body heat like the rays of the sun, and though it should be an uncomfortable invasion of privacy, it is not. In fact, Nicolo immediately feels more relaxed.

“This feels much better” Yusuf says, sounding relieved.

“Good. Go to sleep now.”

*

When he wakes to the sun blasting directly into his face, he realises two things. First, that was the most comfortable sleep he has ever had in his life. Second, Yusuf is a cuddly sleeper. They were close enough last night, but the other man has shifted in his sleep to press into Nicolo’s back and thrown an arm over him. The practical side of him is incredulous- what a stupid way to sleep, what if there had been a threat in the night and he was prevented from moving? The other side of him is delighted. He has no chance of returning to sleep with the sun so bright, but he lies there anyway until he feels the subtle changes in Yusuf’s muscles that indicate he is coming around.

He doesn’t make any attempt to let go or roll away, so they stay like that for several minutes. Nicolo smiles and he doesn’t know how, whether he makes a sound as he does so, but somehow that is enough to give him away. Yusuf’s arm disappears and it seems to leave a cold stripe behind. Nicolo turns onto his back to follow it and finds the other man rubbing his eye, before looking back and smiling.

“Good morning” he says.

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

“I did. And you?”

“Incredibly well.”

They watch the ceiling for a while- very interesting ceiling, plain white with absolutely no decoration- and then Nicolo turns his head towards the window. The variety of things to look at in this room is marvellous. 

“It must be nearly afternoon” he remarks.

“We have nowhere to be.”

Nicolo sighs deeply, less comforted by that statement than Yusuf is. The bed moves as the other man sits up. “Nico? Are you okay?”

He’s started calling him Nico. At first it seemed a practical abbreviation, one less syllable to call when things needed to happen fast. Lately he’s started saying it differently. His voice softens around it even when he calls him in the middle of a sentence. It’s small, but noticeable. Like when he grabbed Nicolo’s hand as they ran from the fight, so they wouldn’t be separated, and then kept hold of it long after they were the only two people in sight. All these little things that speak of affection that Nicolo appreciates and reciprocates, but doesn’t really know how to deal with.

“Is this all my life is going to be? Endless wandering and everyone wanting to kill me?”

“No, that’s not all,” Yusuf rubs his shoulder. “We’re looking for those women, aren’t we?”

Nicolo hums in agreement.

“They might have answers about all this. We have some purpose.”

He dreamed of those women again last night. They were sitting next to a campfire, laughing, and the warmth around them wasn’t wholly due to the flames. When the dreams started he thought they were sisters-in-arms, but as time has gone on, it’s become clear that they are more than that. How nice it must be for them to have someone like that, someone to watch their backs in battle and whom they can also love in this way.

“Why did you save me?” he asks.

“When?”

Nicolo turns his head to look at him. “Two days ago. They didn’t want anything to do with you until you stepped in. You could have let them drag me off.”

Yusuf frowns. “Why would I do that?”

“You could be in a guest house right now, sleeping in your own bed and eating a hot meal.”

He chuckles. “You’re very pragmatic, Nico. Your safety is worth more than a hot meal, and I slept far better with you than I would in a bed on my own.”

Yusuf cares about him. He’s not sure why this should be a surprise. It’s not really, he knows their initially tentative truce has deepened into friendship, but in the back of his head was the promise that they were travelling together for a purpose. They were going to find the women. They were going to find answers about their immortality. For that reason, they had to stick together.

What happened with the guard was more than that. Yusuf could have slipped away. If he wanted to, he could have let Nicolo’s immortality save him and come back for him afterwards. He hadn’t done that. He had stepped in between them, tried to pull Nicolo away, argued with the guards in an imploring and later angry tone, and drawn his sword when they wouldn’t let go. Of course Nicolo had had to do the same then. His first instinct was to keep peace and avoid escalating a conflict when he was the one in trouble, but when it was Yusuf, attack was the best defence.

That was how they had ended up stuck on an island, because they couldn’t help themselves from jumping to protect each other.

This bond they have is not temporary. Even if they find the women and are unwelcome, as Nicolo has sometimes worried after seeing how close they are, he will still have Yusuf. He thinks that is all he may need.

“What does your religion say, about sharing a bed with another man?”

Yusuf laughs heartily and lies back down, half of his face disappearing into the pillow, leaving one brown eye to sparkle joyfully at him. “Like this? Or in other ways?”

“Other ways.”

“It is tolerated. Many young men take an older lover to teach them before they marry.”

“Do any of them…fail to marry?” Nicolo asks hesitantly, unable to find the right words for his question.

“I am sure there are some” Yusuf answers.

“Did you have a lover?”

“I did.”

The jealousy is painful, but he tries not to react, letting it pass through him. It’s such a terrible feeling, so useless. All it does is burn him from the inside. Whoever Yusuf’s lover was, they are in the past. Nicolo is the present and if this immortality holds up, it’s very likely that he will be the future as well. He refuses to let himself be bitter about a ghost.

“Have you?” Yusuf asks.

“No.” The word grinds its way through his teeth into the air.

“Not at all?”

“I entered the Church at 12 years old. There was no opportunity.”

Yusuf murmurs something under his breath in Arabic. “And your religion? What does it have to say about pleasures of the flesh?”

“It is a mortal sin.”

“In what respects?”

“In all respects except marriage before God between a man and a woman.”

He parrots the solemn words of the preacher, and is startled when Yusuf throws back his head, laughing delightedly. “It is a wonder your people ever have children.”

The heavy air that has been descending upon the bed is broken at once and Nicolo joins him in laughing. Once he would never have dared make light of any pronouncements of the Church, but though his faith in God remains strong, he finds it increasingly separated from his belief in His earthly representatives. God, after all, is a being of infinite kindness and charity. It is the bishops and cardinals who have decided that compassion should be reserved only for those whom they deem worthy.

Yusuf’s laughter settles down and he looks at Nicolo with stars in his eyes. “Do you miss home?” he asks.

“I don’t know,” Nicolo replies carefully. “I knew that I would never see it again when I left. I’ve made peace with that. And you?”

“Home isn’t really a place anymore.”

“It was destroyed?”

“That isn’t what I mean.”

“Oh.”

They go back to watching the ceiling. Is that a spider web in the corner? Fascinating. This room never ceases to provide interesting new focal points.

“This place reminds me somewhat of Genova,” Nicolo speaks up. “More brown than green, but the sea…”

Yusuf hesitates, as if he is afraid to say what is on his mind. “This island isn’t too far from your country. You could go home if you wanted.”

Nicolo looks at him. “Is that what you want?”

“I can think of nothing worse” Yusuf replies immediately. He still won’t look away from the ceiling- and who can blame him, look at those damp spots in the corner- and Nicolo wishes he would, but then again, maybe it’s for the best. He can’t imagine what his face looks like right now. He feels like it’s melted into a foolish expression that he could not live down.

“I’ve made life more difficult for you and you haven’t left me. I don’t plan to leave you.”

Yusuf looks so endearingly surprised, eyes wide and hopeful, and Nicolo has a yearning to hug him. And so he does, shifting over and throwing his arm over Yusuf’s chest, resting his head on his bicep. One arm comes to encircle his back and the other his shoulders. Yusuf is strong, he always knew this, but it’s quite something to have that strength used for a purpose other than fighting.

“How long do you think we will stay here?” Nicolo asks.

“The boats don’t come frequently,” Yusuf replies thoughtfully. “It might be a week, maybe two.”

He nods, satisfied. “We should go to the beach.”

“That would be nice. We could check out that little town nearby, see if we could work to earn a bit of money.”

“We will do that.”

They lapse into a contented silence. It is actually far too hot to be lying like this, with the sun blazing through the window and each other’s body heat, but they continue to suffer it. If it weren’t so warm, Nicolo could probably fall back to sleep, but as it is he keeps his eyes open and watches Yusuf’s chest move up and down. Now this? This is the most fascinating sight in the room.

“So are we sharing the bed now or am I to be banished back to the floor?” Yusuf suddenly asks and Nicolo laughs.

“I’ll take the floor” he volunteers.

“No, I’ll take it.”

“I already said I would take it.”

Yusuf scoffs and releases him, creating some space so they can look other in the face. “Is this what our conflicts are reduced to?”

“Perhaps. It wouldn’t be so bad if they are.”

Yusuf looks at him with so much warmth and affection that it is impossible to resist. Never mind that an entire life spent with a vow of chastity has left him woefully unprepared for this. For the one second of courage required, Nicolo doesn’t care, and he kisses him.

It is a fairly bad kiss, all things considered, nothing compared to the many that will follow. The pressure is too firm and their noses hit each other, but Nicolo is elated nevertheless. When he moves back, Yusuf stares at him in wonder.

“You’ve never kissed anyone before, have you?”

He shakes his head.

“I could tell.”

Nicolo shoves him against the headboard and makes to climb out of the bed.

“No,” Yusuf laughs. He grabs his hand and pulls him back, hugging him against his chest. “No, Nico, don’t leave me.”

Nicolo huffs with amusement and relaxes, letting Yusuf lie back down with him. He can’t remember the last time he smiled so much. “Never.”

*

In later centuries, Yusuf will wax poetic to anyone who listens about that morning. Nicolo will listen patiently to the many different ways his love can describe it, smiling at the memory of his true reaction. It was the furthest thing from poetry he can imagine, but it was perfect. Their family think they have no secrets, but there are a few things which are only for them.

They will have time to see the world three times over, but the island remains special. It draws them back again and again, reliving old memories and creating new ones. In one of their darkest times, it is a beacon of hope, a promise of better times to come.

They never sleep in separate beds again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading. If you liked it, please let me know via kudos or comment. Have a good day.


End file.
